Shortgame IS more important

[MJE77]

I've heard that said but still I and probably alot of beginners still focus more on practicing full shots.

Last week I hit 12 GIR and got 10 pars and because of an 11 on one hole I finished on +17. Today I only hit 3 GIR yet got 11 pars and got my best score so far of +11 which included 2 triple bogeys.

My chipping and putting were so ON that it didn't matter where my full shots were going.

Just thought I'd say this as I realise that aslong as you aren't hitting slices/hooks you're still capable of good scores if you practice your chipping and putting.

[Mox]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

Spot on.

My criteria for a good drive are these:

1) It needs to be in bounds.
2) It needs to be out of hazards.
3) It needs to be 'playable' - as in 'not sitting knee-deep in hay.
4) It needs to be past the ladies tee.

If those criteria are met, there's a good chance I'll be on green in 1 over regulation (which is suitable for my handicap), since having a good lie for the second shot, will allow me a good opportunity for the approach shot in third (thinking par4 holes here).

Green in 3 (on a par 4) gives me 2 putts for a bogey (which - at my level - is a net. birdie), and even if I three-putt, it's not a disaster (well, yes it is - but not on the scorecard).

The make-or-break shots are the ones inside some 130-140yds (most often they will be inside 80), where I need to hit the green, so flops, pitches, chips and short irons - anything wedgy really - makes all the difference.

[peter3]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

One free bonus of a good short game is that your approach shots will probably improve as well.

The reasoning is that if you are confident that you will get up and down regardless where the ball end up around the green, you will relax and hit smoother, straighter and longer shots that will end up on the green more often.

[ubizmo]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

Spot on.

My criteria for a good drive are these:

1) It needs to be in bounds.
2) It needs to be out of hazards.
3) It needs to be 'playable' - as in 'not sitting knee-deep in hay.
4) It needs to be past the ladies tee.

If those criteria are met, there's a good chance I'll be on green in 1 over regulation (which is suitable for my handicap), since having a good lie for the second shot, will allow me a good opportunity for the approach shot in third (thinking par4 holes here).

Green in 3 (on a par 4) gives me 2 putts for a bogey (which - at my level - is a net. birdie), and even if I three-putt, it's not a disaster (well, yes it is - but not on the scorecard).

This is exactly my thinking. And this is why, for my last 4 rounds of golf, I left the driver in the car. It's not that I never hit a good drive, but my chances of blowing it on at least one of items 1-4 are greater when I use the driver than when I use the 3W, and I finally have accepted that until those percentages shift, there's really no good reason to pick up the driver. In my case, between the driver and the 3W there's a small difference in distance but a pretty substantial difference in accuracy/reliability.

Furthermore, as I noted a while back in another thread, by using the 3W all the time I find I'm getting more distance with it anyway, and that can only be because I'm unconsciously making adjustments that allow me to get a better swing on the ball. I am by no means always the shortest off the tee in my group.

[bugs]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

I use strictly irons. Most holes are short enough to use two long irons. When my swing goes sour, I can usually recover. Reading Pelz's "Short Game Bible" has helped me. In the past, I would hit a ball into another fairway, poke it back, hit it short of the green, duff it over the edge of the green, and three putt if I was lucky. Now I keep it in my fairway and give myself a fighting chance to sink a putt in two. I cut my strokes down but I'm only in the low 100's. It isn't pretty yet, but I am starting to understand a lot more. I will be there!!!

[pinyo8]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

Something that really helped me was getting better at those 6-10feet putts. Once you have the confidence that you can make those putts, you take the pressure off your chip/pitch shots. By doing so, it actually allows you to make more of a confident chip/pitch which in turn reduce those duff shots.
Try to practice more on those putts and I assure you that you can lose strokes easily.

[peter3]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

The 6 feet putt is probably the most important stroke in golf. If you can hole those most of the time, it will have a profound impact on your scores.

[shootin4par]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

The whole game is important. If you cant keep the ball in bounds you cant score, period!!!. If you put yourself in impossible situations on approach shots then you cannot get up and down to save par!!! If you cannot chip then you will not get up and down, once again ruining the score!!! If you cannot lag putt and putt six footers, you cant score!!! The whole game matters so the most important aspect to practice is the one YOU are the worst at.

[LowPost42]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

Shootin4par, you're right. You obviously need a complete game if you're going to be a scratch player.

However, if you want your scores to drop fast, you have to be able to get up and down - and that means short game.

Statistically speaking, the thing that seperates a 15 handicap from a 5 is short game - they both strike the ball relatively well. But the 5 gets up and down and rarely 3 putts (or worse), whereas the 15 struggles to get up and down, and 3 putts are more common (again, statistically speaking).

[shootin4par]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

Shootin4par, you're right. You obviously need a complete game if you're going to be a scratch player.

However, if you want your scores to drop fast, you have to be able to get up and down - and that means short game.

Statistically speaking, the thing that seperates a 15 handicap from a 5 is short game - they both strike the ball relatively well. But the 5 gets up and down and rarely 3 putts (or worse), whereas the 15 struggles to get up and down, and 3 putts are more common (again, statistically speaking).

So statistics say a 5 hdcper gets up and down more? I wonder what the statistics are on how much closer he is to the green when he is trying to get up and down. Statistics are incomplete a lot of the times!!!

[resqme269]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

First of all, this is my first post so - Hey everybody!. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I agree on the short game being either the most important, or the most overlooked/underpracticed aspects of the game. (I know it has been and still is, which I am beginning to change.) When I played in our district high school tournament, several, several years ago I ended up shooting a ninety after 3-putting about 14 or so holes. (only 2 birdies I had was 2 blind-luck chip ins). My reasoning for thinking the short game is the most important - how many of you have played with some of our seniors that cant drive the ball over 150 or 200 yards and still come close to shooting par for the whole round? I drive off the tee 300 yards (fairly accurate too) and still shoot in the mid to upper 80's. But at least I know what my major problem is - I cant put worth a flip. I hope I have figured out my problem - I was trying to be too mechanical - you know making sure everything moved in unison without regard to feel. Now that I somewhat understand that, I'm anxious to practice some on the greens if the freakin weather would cooperate while I'm off work.

Anyway I'll quit rambling and great site aministrator people.

[shootin4par]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

First of all, this is my first post so - Hey everybody!. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I agree on the short game being either the most important, or the most overlooked/underpracticed aspects of the game. (I know it has been and still is, which I am beginning to change.) When I played in our district high school tournament, several, several years ago I ended up shooting a ninety after 3-putting about 14 or so holes. (only 2 birdies I had was 2 blind-luck chip ins). My reasoning for thinking the short game is the most important - how many of you have played with some of our seniors that cant drive the ball over 150 or 200 yards and still come close to shooting par for the whole round? I drive off the tee 300 yards (fairly accurate too) and still shoot in the mid to upper 80's. But at least I know what my major problem is - I cant put worth a flip. I hope I have figured out my problem - I was trying to be too mechanical - you know making sure everything moved in unison without regard to feel. Now that I somewhat understand that, I'm anxious to practice some on the greens if the freakin weather would cooperate while I'm off work.

Anyway I'll quit rambling and great site aministrator people.

like I said in a previous response, "The whole game matters so the most important aspect to practice is the one YOU are the worst at." That is all there is to it.

and think about this, give a pro a 35 yard shot out of the rough, over a bunker with a pin 5 yards on and the green running away. Do that to him 10 times and how many times do you think he would get that shot within six feet, I say two. How often does a pro leave himself in that situation, maybe once every tournament, how often does a fifteen handicap leave himself that shot, maybe as much as 3 to 4 times a round

[LowPost42]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

and think about this, give a pro a 35 yard shot out of the rough, over a bunker with a pin 5 yards on and the green running away. Do that to him 10 times and how many times do you think he would get that shot within six feet, I say two. How often does a pro leave himself in that situation, maybe once every tournament, how often does a fifteen handicap leave himself that shot, maybe as much as 3 to 4 times a round

Now, that largely comes down to a coouple of things - course management and ball striking.

While I agree that as individuals we should all be working on our weakest areas. A coach I had once said:

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better, best."

That said, it's been shown over and over that for Joe Average golfer, short game is what's worst.

[89imf]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

I agree the short game is where it's at. I'm fairly new to golf, playing about nine months now.

If I could two putt and not three putt, I would be a happy camper. I'm 58 years old, I play with a lot of guys who are in their mid to upper 70's.

Lots of seniors here in Florida, also a lot of seniors who play golf really well.

They don't hit the ball as far as I do, but when we get near or on the green they kick my butt.

I realize that we all want to be complete players, but a good short game will get your score down faster than a three hundred yard drive.

Happy New Year!

[shootin4par]

Re: Shortgame IS more important

I have held an index of six while relying on the full swing, not pracicing the short game much at all, that was before I learned how to chip and putt. I have also held a six while the full swing was in the toilet, relying on short game.